Wednesday, September 13, 2006

New Enviro-Friendly Cars

I am excited about all the news announcements involving the new enviro-friendly cars that have been developed. Not that I'm a stonch environmentalist, I am really just a car lover who appreciates a new technological improvement in luxury, economy or environmentalism.

BMW, a favorite when it comes to looks and style, has just introduced their new BMW Hydrogen 7. It is a new type of car that is purported to blend CleanEnergy technology with luxury drivability.

GM is another player in this trend-setting market. Under the Chevrolet name, they have developed the Sequel, which uses fuel cells instead of gasoline to power its engine. I'm also impressed to see that an electric-powered SUV can claim to accelerate 0-60 mph in 10 seconds.

Peugeot is another manufacturer that is jumping on the electric-powered bandwagon. Their new 207 Epure combines an 50 kW electric motor with a 20 kW GENEPAC experimental fuel cell. The collection of power gives the Epure a range of over 200 miles and maximum speeds of over 80 miles per hour. I look forward to seeing a sports cars that blend the sport convertable looks with luxurious leather feel as this one does.

As a side note, I look forward to the next stage of Toyota's Alessandro Volta. It has been listed for a year or two now under their 'future concepts' and claims to accelerate 0-60 in 4 seconds with its hybrid, 408-hp, 32 mi/gal, 3.3-liter V6 entine. On top of all that, it looks good too.